Title: Remembrance of a Fictionalized Past
Author: Genaro J. Perez
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1663279798
Pages: 152
Genre: Biographical / Literature & Fiction
Reviewer: Andrew Calloway

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Memories are a powerful thing. For some, memories are a way of looking ahead at what the world could become by seeing what it has already been, giving hope to those who fear a hopeless future. Others view memories as painful windows into the past, keeping some locked in a perpetual state of grief as they remember traumatic events or loved ones who are no longer there. Either way, memories can have a great impact on the lives of those who choose to remember and hold onto them.

In author Genaro J. Perez’s Remembrance of a Fictionalized Past, the author explores the impact of memory through the fictional memoir of Christian Federico Osorio. The protagonist tells the complex story of his past, from the shocking upbringing led by abuse that defined much of his life and viewpoints to the inadvertent run-in with Lee Harvey Oswald, his time in the Vietnam War, and even future events that serve as the protagonist’s past as he becomes vital to a survival movement no one could have predicted.

The unique writing style which brought this story to life was the first thing that stood out to me. The narrative was delivered as a single long journal entry, as if the protagonist sat down one night towards the end of his life and began writing down the major events of his life. It helped draw me in and keep me invested as the blend of history and fictional storytelling balanced out the deep character development at work here. The powerful imagery in the writing itself also gives an immersive experience, often adding depth and greater impact to the emotional rollercoaster this story provided, from visceral and positive moments to the uncomfortable realities the protagonist lived through.

Readers who enjoy fictional narratives, especially fiction that is written in an autobiographical tone and embraces both historical fiction and somewhat dystopian tones throughout the narrative would love this book. The way memory played as a theme in this story was so unique, as the framing of the narrative was based largely on the protagonist’s own mindset and at times lack of understanding of the trauma that had happened to him early in life, as well as how much shifted and became unfocused in later chapters as he got to the octogenarian years of life and what he experienced, even ending the novel with the protagonist posing a basic question that is very telling of his mindset. It is a story which will resonate in readers’ minds long after the book is finished.